Swing or glider



Jan.

n R. W. HALL SWING ORGLIDER Filed NOV. 2l, 1938 Patented Jan. 23, i949 ricatti 2,188,004, SWING R Gianna Ralph W. Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to The Shott Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a. corporation of Ohio Application November 21, 1938, Serial No. 241,593

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in swings, gliders or other forms of seats or carriers which are to swing or move to and fro about pivots, rather than upon slides or rails.

o Although the invention is a mechanical movetoned, therefore, is not to be considered a limiv tation upon the invention.

An object of the invention is to provide a swingr ing seat or carrier structure wherein all of the mechanism utilized for' effecting the swinging movement, may be located close to the floor and beneath the seat or carrier portion thereof, thereby to improve the durability, appearance, and the stability of the device as a whole.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seat or carrier suspension means of the character stated, wherein may be simulated the swinging movement ordinarily expected from an elevated pivot suspension having a long radius and wide arc swing, this being accomplished with the use of a simple and inexpensive compact form of mechanism.

Another object is to provide a device of the character stated, whichis so constructed that limit stops for the extent of swinging movement may be eliminated entirely, without liability of the mechanism to collapse or fold with possible injury to the structure or to persons seated on the carrier or seat portion thereof.

A further object is the elimination of springs and counterbalances in devices of the character referred to.

Another object' is to provide an underslung 40 suspension means of the kind mentioned, wherein is included a novel and eiective link stabilizer or control means, arranged to preclude collapse and to eliminate the need for swing limiting devices heretofore employed to maintain the swing- 'ing movement under control and Within definite limits.

'I'he foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmental front elevational viewof a swing or glider embodying the present invention, this being taken online l-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2,-2 of Fig. l.

` Fig. 3 shows a stability control modication.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the relationship of parts when the glider is swung rearwardly.

In constructing devices of the character under consideration, it is highly desirable to avoid the use of long links or suspension parts, while at the same time retaining the kind of swinging movement that such parts afford.

The desired character of movement is obtainable with the use of the construction herein disclosed, while at the same time enhancing the appearance, the durability and the smoothness of operation of the structure. Other advantages resulting from practice of the present invention are recited in the preceding statement of the objects.

With reference tothe accompanying drawing, there is illustrated a stationary ilat base for the swing or glider, comprising a pair of end members 3, only one of which is shown, and a rear connecting member 4 for the end members. These parts may be of metal or the like, in the form of angle irons or base pieces of other cross-sectional form, as desired. The only upstanding part of the base is that part indicated by the character 5, the function of which will be explained hereinafter.

'Ihe swing frame, which is the moving main element of the structure, may comprise a seat portion or carrier 6 upon which may be placed a cushion or the like 1, and a back rest 8 likewise adapted, if desired, to support one or more cushions 9. Suitable cross straps I0 may be furnished as a means of supporting the back rest cushions. The carrier or seat portion 6 may be constituted of a pair of opposed end frame elements l2, a front frame element I3, and a rear frame element I4, these being fixed together at their ends in any suitable manner so as toform preferably a rectangular frame work. The frame Work may be strung with wires or otherwise furnished with means for supporting the cushions 1, in a manner well known to the art. It is deemed unnecessary to illustrate such cushion supporting means, as they are common in articles of furniture such as beds, couches, swings and the like.

At each end of the swing frame 6 there is provided an end piece l5 which may be developed so as to furnish an end for the swing or glider, 50 and an arm rest i6, if desired. The element l5 may furnish also a support for the back rest 8.

Depending from the carrier or seat portion 6, are the uprights l'l and I8, at the front and rear of the device, respectively, which uprights may gg be integral with or connected to a normally horlzontal bottom bar or reenforcing element I9. 'I'he parts I8, I9 and |'l may be integral with the part I5 which extends above the seat portion. From the seat portion downwardly to the member I9, a panel 20 of metal or other suitable material may be applied for the purpose of concealing the mechanism of the swing or glider and enhancing the appearance thereof. The panel 20, of course, is not an essential element and it performs no function other than that stated.

The foregoing description species the char.

acter or nature of the stationary base and the movable element of the swing or glider, wherefore there remains for explanation the means of supporting the movable element upon the base element in such manner as to afford the advantages and improvements hereinbefore related.

The means of associating the stationary base with the movable portion of the swing or glider comprises a system of compound linkage having compensating characteristics whereby the movement of the swinging section of the glider is caused to imitate exactly the movement resulting from an elevated pivot suspension with a long radius characteristic. The compound linkage is so designed as to include a link stabilizer or control means, the function of which is to impart a safety factor into the construction, for precluding any tendency of the link structure to collapse or fold when disposed to extreme positions of forward and backward movement of the seat or carrier portion of the swing or glider. The link stabilizer or control means performs the additional function of eliminating the need for stops or limit devices which ordinarily act to abruptly terminate a forward or backward movement, thereby resulting in a thump or shock which is unpleasant and somewhat destructive to the mechanism. With the link stabilizer or control means included in the glider suspension, collapse of the linkage is impossible at any stage of the swing and it provides an effective swing limiting action without the disadvantages ordinarily resulting from the use of stationary abutments, bumpers, or springs.

The lower portion I9 of the swinging assembly is provided with the pivots 2| and 22, from which the link members 23 and 24, respectively, extend upwardly. Another pair of links 25 and 26 are provided, and these have lower ends pivoted as at 2l and 28 upon the base element 3. The various links 23, 24, 25 and 26 preferably extend upwardly in a common direction, and to equal extents, so that the upper ends of all the links may be pivoted to a horizontal link coupler bar indicated at 29. The pivotal points on the bar are indicated at 30, 3|, 32 and 33. Inasmuch as the links 23 and 24 act to suspend the entire swinging structure 6 from the horizontal link coupler bar 29, said links may be considered the tension or suspension links. On the other hand, the links 25 and 26 which support the bar 29 in the elevated position, may properly be considered the compression links of the structure. It should readily be evident that the weight of the swinging assembly 6 tends to stretch the links 23 and 24, while the links 25 and 26 are placed under longitudinal compression by the weight of the swinging assembly.

That much of the suspension` linkage as has been described, furnishes the means of supporting the swinging assembly, but as will be evident, any movement of the swinging assembly to the left or right of the neutral position illustrated in taiod Fig. 2 will result in collapse of the linkage, in the absence of the stabilizer or control means now to be'described. The stabilizer or control means may comprise an elevated iixed pivot or mounting 34 which is stationary relative to the base 3, and a connecting bar 35 having one end pivoted at 36 upon an upper extension 31 of one of the tension or suspension links, for example 24. During swinging movement of the glider, the connecting bar rocks slightly about its pivot 34 while precluding any substantial forward and rearward movement of the pivot 36, so that link 24 pivots about 36 while it is suspended from the intermediate pivot 33. The distance between pivots 33 and 22 is greater than the distance between 33 and 36, preferably in the ratio of approximately 5 to 4, so that the swinging movement of the seat will simulate a true arcuate swing without dipping at the end of each stroke.

The xed pivot 34 may be carried by any part of the stationary frame, and preferably by an upright such as 5, which may be riveted or welded as at 38, or otherwise fixed, to the frame part 3. The connecting link 35 may cooperate with an extension of either of the tension or suspension links 24 or 23, and its location upon the stationary frame may be selected in accordance with the manufacturers ideas of convenience and proper shop practice. 'Ihe locating of the upright 5 approximately midway between the pivots 21 and 28, however, has been found advantageous and preferable in that a symmetrical and simplied structure is thereby produced, with all mechanical parts concealed and out of the way, and making it possible to use a short connecting bar 35. It is of importance to note that the xed pivot 34 of the stability control mechanism, in order to ensure a uniform swing from one end of the stroke to the other, must be located a certain distance beneath a horizontal plane passing through the pivot 36 when the parts are disposed in the neutral position of Fig. 2. The proper location, or rather, the proper elevation of pivot 34 may be established by determining the highest and lowest positions assumed by the pivot 36 during a complete swinging cycle, and then selecting a point midway between such positions, which point will be representative of the elevation at which pivot 34 should be established upon the upright 5.

Upon examination of the stability control mechanism, it should be observable that the pivot 36 is so restrained, by reason of its association with bar 35 and upright 5, that its movement is limited to that of substantially vertical shiftability. In other words, the pivot 36 has no appreciable lateral movement, and the less lateral movement it has, the better will be the accuracy of the swing imparted to the glider seat or carrier.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated a modified construction wherein all possible shiftability of the pivot 36 laterally, is avoided. Here, the upright 5 and connecting bar 35 of Fig. 2, are replaced with a vertical guide means 5' for a follower 49, which may be considered an equivalent or a substitute element for pivot 36, which guide means conveniently may comprise a channel iron or the like 45, rigidly fixed to the base part 3 as at 46, the legs 4l and 48 of the channel providing between them a trackway for embracing the follower 49 which may be a roller associated with a stud |36 on link 24. As in the stability control rst described, this stud |36 and its follower 49 will have a limited vertical movement during the swinging cycle of the glider, and its distance extension on one of the suspension links, a pivot on the extension, a i'lxed upright secured to the stationary base and having an upper portion including a. pivot, which pivot is elevated to a level slightly beneath the level of the pivot of the extension aforesaid, and a connecting bar secured to said pivots for maintaining a substantially constant distance between the pivots, the lower pivot of the suspension link which comprises the stability control means being at a greater distance from the link coupler bar than is the pivot of its extension, in the ratio of approximately 5 to 4.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the link structure, comprising an upward extension on one of the suspension links, a pivot on the extension, a pivot supported xedly relative to the stationary base, and a connecting bar extending from the fixed pivot to the pivot of said suspension link extension, and a series of tubular cross bars joining parts of the linkage structure to corresponding parts of a second identical linkage structure at the opposite end of the device.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a. lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of aisance the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the link structure, comprising an upward extension on one of the suspension links, and means on the stationary base for precluding any substantial lateral shifting of the upper end of the suspension link extension while guiding said upper end in a substantially vertical plane of movement.

8. In -a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from'said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the link structure, comprising an upward extension on one of the suspension links, and a guide iixed relative to the base including a connection with said upward extension, for restricting said upward extension to movements .toward and from the stationary base durg1g swinging movements of the swingable carer.

RALPH W. ,HALL

aisance .L i?.

from the pivot 33 will control the character of the swing motion at the ends of the stroke. In the Fig. 3 construction, the link member 2i will swing about the pivotal point 436, just as member 2li of Fig. 2 swings about the pivot 36. This is illustrated by Fig. 4. Both of the illustrated forms oi' the stability control means are practicable, and each is capable of modications as to its details of construction.

It should be noted that the end of the swing or glider which is not illustrated, may be identical with the end shown, and connections may be made joining the various parts of one end to corresponding parts of the opposite end, by means of the tubular cross bars 39, lill, and 4l, which extend lengthwise of the device from links 25, 26, and 24, respectively. One or more angle irons or other braces such as E may join the opposite ends of the base parts 3. The use of tubular elements 39, 40 and il is preferred, since they are highly eiective as torque control means overcoming any tendency of the linkages to become distorted or misaligned in rough or extended usage of the swing or glider.

It might be here noted that pivots 39 and 3| may be consolidated so that a single pivot may be employed to support the upper ends of both links 23 and 25, and the same is true of pivots 32 and 33 of the other set of links 26 and 24. The use of ball bearings or other anti-friction bearings at any or all of the pivots, is intended to be within the purview of the invention.

The swinging seat or carrier portion of the device may be varied in construction and design, as desired, and various other modications and changes in the structural details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends o the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the link structure, comprising an upward extension on one of the suspension links, a pivot on the extension, a. pivot supported xedly relative to the stationary base, and a connecting bar extending from the xed pivot to the pivot of said suspension link extension. V

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the link structure, comprising an upward extension on one of the suspension links, a pivot on the extension, a pivot supported iixedly relative to the stationary base, and a connecting bar extending from the fixed pivot to the pivot of said suspension link extension, said fixed pivot being disposed at a slightly lower elevation than the pivot of the suspension link extension, with respect to the mean plane of the stationary base.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the linkage, comprising an extension on one of the suspension links, a pivot on the extension, a fixed upright secured to the stationary base and having an upper portion including a pivot, which pivot is located at a. lower level than the pivot of the extension aforesaid, and a connecting bar having opposite ends pivoted respectively upon the pivot of the extension and the pivot of the fixed upright.

4. In a device of the class described, the cornbination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level of the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carriage, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the linkage, comprising an extension on one of the suspension links, a pivot on the extension, a xed upright secured to the stationary base and having an upper portion including a pivot, which pivot is located below the level of the pivot of the extension aforesaid, the lower pivot of the suspension link which comprises the stability control means being at a greater distance from the link coupler bar than is the pivot olf its extension and a connecting bar attached to the pivot of the extension and that of the fixed upright, for maintaining a predetermined distance between them.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a stationary base and a swingable carrier, said carrier including a lower depending portion disposed substantially at the level or the stationary base, a plurality of upwardly extending compression links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the stationary base, and including upper ends, a plurality of suspension links pivoted in spaced relationship upon the lower depending portion of the carrier, and having ends extending upwardly from said pivots, a longitudinal substantially horizontal link coupler bar and means pivoting the upper ends of the compression links and the suspension links thereto, and a stability control means for the linkage, comprising an 

